﻿MOST COMMON ERRORS IN CHOOSING A DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Choosing the best document management system plays an important role in your business success. And before you choose such a system, you need to know which things are important for you. When you clearly know which features you need and which pitfalls to avoid, choosing the best option becomes a lot easier for you. In today’s article, I will share some of the most common mistakes businesses make when choosing a document management system.

​RELYING ONLY ON THE IT DEPARTMENT​When you are planning to get a document management system, some common things you need to consider includes your long-term goals, budget, available support, ease of use, hardware requirements etc. Each of these factors plays a large role in finding out the most appropriate system for you. That means you have to involve all the relevant departments in the process. While the IT team is perfect for special tasks like dealing with online threats, it is not their job to choose the document management system.​​If you rely only on the IT team, you may end up choosing a highly technical solution which doesn’t reflect the necessities of other departments. At the very least, have an idea about the overall requirement of various sections.

Not Including the Relevant Persons

Another important fact in the buying process is to involve the person which will be using the system most of the time. As that person will handle the software, it makes sense that s/he gets a say in the process. Before you take the final decision, allow that individual to get a feel of the user interface and how to use the various features of the software.

​Never take a quick decision. Rather, allow them the necessary time to find out if this is the perfect choice for your company. Feel free to test several systems to choose the best one.

​Ignoring the Difficulties

Before you can find out which document management system is the best choice, you need to understand what your problems and difficulties are. To find out the true extent of your paperless efforts, talk to the department heads or the responsible persons to find out what common challenges they are facing on a daily basis. Determine which of these problems could be addresses by using such a system. Most companies will be glad to offer demos of their products. You can also provide them with your list of requirements and find out which ones could be addresses by their software.

Going Full-scale at Once​At this point, you know your challenges,features to look, and which individuals you should involve in the process. It seems everything is in place to start your search for the perfect document management system. While that’s true, it is also the time to start creating the plan about how you will implement the system in your company.

​Instead of going full-scale and apply all the changes at once, it is more practical to go slow and start with a single department. This process will allow you to find out the best ways to apply the changes and make any correction your implication method.

Final Words​So, these were the common mistakes in choosing the best document management system. When you are looking to get such a system for your business, make sure you have avoided all of these issues. And if you have any other tips to add here, let me know by using the comment form below.